New York City faces serious public health challenges. Drug overdoses are on the rise. Mental illness is widespread. The emergency department is under pressure. Life expectancy in parts of the city has fallen.
So what are some New York City Department of Health employees reportedly studying? The effects of “global oppression” on health.
This is no joke. It’s a disturbing example of how ideology has supplanted the powers of city government — and how taxpayers are being asked to foot the bill.
A public health department has a clear mission: to protect people from disease, respond to health emergencies, and ensure basic safety standards. It’s there to prevent outbreaks, fight addiction, improve maternal health, and keep food and water safe. It is not a political theory workshop.
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Every hour spent theorizing about “global oppression” is an hour not spent addressing tuberculosis outbreaks, fentanyl deaths, or mental health crises. These problems are not academic abstractions. They are immediate, measurable and – if ignored – deadly.
This episode fits into a broader pattern under the administration of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. From day one, City Hall has indicated that ideological alignment is more important than operational performance. Agencies are encouraged to pursue political narratives rather than focus ruthlessly on results. Business confidence has weakened, regulatory pressure has increased and accountability has become diffuse. Instead of prioritizing growth, security and efficiency, the mayor’s team has embraced a worldview that treats markets with suspicion and bureaucracy as an engine for social transformation. The result is a city council that talks a lot about justice, but achieves far too few results.
According to this prevailing philosophy, almost every challenge is explained away as the product of abstract systems of oppression. This may work well in activist circles, but it does not provide guidance for governing a complex city with eight million inhabitants. It cannot reduce overdose deaths, speed emergency response times, or restore public confidence in basic services.
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What it does is try to distract from real issues.
New York is already one of the most heavily taxed and regulated cities in America. Companies are leaving. Families wonder if they can afford to stay. Tourists – once taken for granted – are becoming increasingly uneasy about safety and quality of life. Against this backdrop, diverting scarce public resources to ideological exercises is not only irresponsible – it is self-defeating.
Public trust depends on focus and responsibility. When citizens see health authorities pursuing political theories instead of protecting public health, trust in government erodes. And once that trust is lost, it is extremely difficult to rebuild it.
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The tragedy is that New York knows how to do better. The city prospered when leaders emphasized competence, growth and responsibility. When government focused on expanding opportunity rather than assigning blame, New York became a magnet for talent, investment and innovation.
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A serious government would immediately refocus the Ministry of Health on its core mission. It would require measurable results, strict supervision and a clear separation between public service and political activism. Taxpayers don’t fund ideology – they pay for results.
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New Yorkers deserve a government that treats public health with urgency and seriousness. Studying “global oppression” may satisfy ideological desires, but it will not make the city healthier, safer, or more prosperous.
It’s time for City Hall to stop chasing fad theories – and start governing again.
